So I’m nearly halfway through my PR placement at St Hilda’s and all is well.. It has been very busy in the last couple of weeks with a lot of events and projects.
I think one of the best things I’ve got out of this placement so far is to not be scared of events. I’ve always been very wary of events, seeing them as really daunting and a lot of hard work. However, I’ve learnt that they are only as much work as you make them, you can either be really organized and have everything go to plan, hence creating a lot less work or you can be really disorganized and plunge yourself into complete chaos. Events are also really rewarding, two weeks ago we hosted the girls Head of the River, which was a big task, however on the day everything ran very smoothly and we received heaps of comments on how well it was run.
Because a lot of my placement has been taken up with events organization lately, I’ve also been in close contact with volunteers, who can either do wonders or create a complete shambles. The parents of girls at St Hilda’s are incredibly willing to help and are a great task force, however they can also be a bit of a nuisance. Natalie, the lady I mainly work with writes timed and very specific directions so everyone who volunteers can have a job and know what is going on, this decreases the chances of a ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ situation and the inevitable conflicts.
I’ve also been given the task of creating a LinkedIn profile for the school, which will (hopefully) be targeted at Year 12 students and Old Scholars. We’re hoping to encourage Old Scholars to take on a mentoring role with younger girls offering them work experience, careers advice and job opportunities. We have however run into a bit of a wall with the whole idea as the Dean of Students is worried what kind of an impact being connected to a social network will have on the school. LinkedIn isn’t advertised as a social network, rather a professional networking site, however I do completely understand where she is coming from. Potential parents and current parents may take issue with the girls having access to a networking site while at school. Anyway, I really think it will be effective even if we just have it open to Old Scholar’s.
This placement has really hit home that networking is one of the most important parts of a successful public relations career. Without networking I don’t think much would get done!
I will update you all soon!
2 comments:
Hey!
Your placement seems to be going really well and it sounds like you are enjoying yourself too (which is the most important).
I totally get where you're coming from about volunteers. Sometimes they need to remind themselves that they still have a boss even if they aren't getting paid (no offence).
I went to a private girls school and remember Head of the River as a massive dealio, so that is awesome that you got to help out with that.
Your comments on events has really given me a little peace of mind too because it is probably something I will be doing in coming weeks and was feeling a little freaked about being overwhelmed with organising.
Hopefully your liaising continues with success. Goodluck!
Hey Kyra,
Events can be daunting and alot of work but all the praises and compliments on the success makes all the hard work worth it.
I recently was involved in organizing a Diamond Media Launch for my placement (Global Good Foundation). It was going fantastic until one day my supervisor said we had to cancel the event due to venue complications.
I was quite disappointed at first but I did not let that get to me.
Now we're busy organising the major Gala event happening in October.
Good luck with your placement, Kyra. Looks like a great place to gain experience.
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